HUMAN PERSONALITY

To act without understanding is to lose the treasure of this human life (sggs
33).They (disguisers or Bhekhdhaarees) do not understand themselves,
and they lose the game of life (sggs 230).
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The human personality structure consists of the following
three — 1) experiencer, feeler or perceiver, 2) doer or performer, and 3) learner
or knower. The body, mind and intellect are the three equipments through which
these three expresses out in the universe.

1. Experiencer, feeler or perceiver:

In
the case of the majority of us, false "I" (false ego-sense or Haume)
is the sole experiencer in us. It's absent in the beginning, when we are infants.
Because the infant's mind is innocent, free of Haume. Because of this,
he is able to express himself fully. However, as the child grows older, the false
ego-sense ("I-ness" or Haume) arises, which gets stronger and
stubborn when one starts identifying with the worldly attractions. As a result,
limitations of the psycho-physical personality get imposed on the True Self obscuring
our True Nature (Pure Awareness or "Joti-Svaroopa"). On account of the relativists consciousness and forgetfulness of our True Nature, we then identify with the experience (body consciousness or ego) and forget
as to who the real experiencer is.

ਆਪਨ ਬਿਭਉ ਆਪ ਹੀ ਜਰਨਾ ॥: Aapan bibho aap hee jaranaa: He Himself is the splendor,
and He Himself is the experiencer of it (sggs 803).

ਦੂਜੈ ਪਹਰੈ ਰੈਣਿ ਕੈ ਵਣਜਾਰਿਆ ਮਿਤ੍ਰਾ ਭਰਿ ਜੋਬਨਿ ਮੈ ਮਤਿ ॥ ਅਹਿਨਿਸਿ ਕਾਮਿ ਵਿਆਪਿਆ ਵਣਜਾਰਿਆ ਮਿਤ੍ਰਾ ਅੰਧੁਲੇ ਨਾਮੁ ਨ ਚਿਤਿ ॥ ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮੁ ਘਟ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਨਾਹੀ ਹੋਰਿ ਜਾਣੈ ਰਸ ਕਸ ਮੀਠੇ ॥: Doojai paharai rain kai vanajaariaa
mitraa....:In the second watch of the
night (of the life), O my merchant friend, you are intoxicated with the wine of youth and beauty.
Day and night, you are engrossed in lust, O my merchant friend, and your consciousness
is blind to the Naam. The Lord's Name is not within your heart, but all sorts
of other tastes seem sweet to you (sggs 75).

Life is a series of
experiences. These experiences are like a classroom - we can learn from the
past experiences and build the future with care and positive attitude. If all
experiences are considered as a classroom, they can be valuable tools in providing
deeper understanding of the life. To the contrary, it will be of no avail to remain
in the classroom and keep reacting to lessons (experiences) being learnt! The
Gurmukhs (spiritual or enlightened beings) do not react to the lessons.
Because, they identify with the real experiencer instead of the experience. They
see themselves as "Joti-Svaroopa" (Pure Awareness) that runs
through the mind and everything else.

With the development of the
experiencer, feeler or perceiver aspect of the human personality, the notion "I
am the doer" also becomes deeply rooted (false "I"). This is duality
(Doojaa Bhaav) the Gurbani so much talks about. In reality we all are just
a channel or an instrument of doing; not the doers, for the Doer (Kartaa Purakh)
is God alone. However, with the rise of false ego-sense (Haume), we forget
this truth and mistakenly take ourselves as the doers.

These first two aspects of the human personality (that
is, "experiencer" and "doer") are common in both humans and
animals. It is this third aspect of human personality (i.e., "learner")
that separates humans from animals. Humans can learn from their own mistakes,
and can experience deeper understanding unfolding from within and move upward
towards the understanding of harmony and Bliss (Anand). Worldly life is
full of sorrows (Dukha). Nonetheless, it can also give us joy if we have
some understanding of the spiritual principles.

We humans are endowed with
the capacity to learn and grow continuously. To learn means to know what's right
and wrong or be able to "separate water from milk" as the mystic swan.
This faculty of discriminating intellect (Viveka-Budhi) is absent in animals.
Merely knowing what's right and wrong is not enough, the Gurmat demands
that one must also be determined to practice what's right. Humans have the ability
to do just that. This is what so special about this human form — the capacity
to learn with undivided attention and interest. For that reason, the Spiritual
Knowledge (Aatam-Giaan) is meant for human beings, not for animals. To put
it otherwise, human beings are most fit to be instructed about the nature of the
Truth. That's to say, God's devotion (Bhagti) is most possible in this
human body. In view of that, if humans do not fully develop and constantly use
this faculty, then they are no better than animals. This leads to the following
questions: Do we as humans live and use this life any better than animals? Is
our conduct any better than animals? Or, are we foolishly wasting it away to death?

In fact, according
to the Gurbani, the qualification of a true Sikh (spiritual student) is his undivided
interest to learn and listen to the Guru's teachings and instructions (Gurmat)
with devotion, sincerity, enthusiasm, undivided interest and dedication, and then
apply them in his daily life to conquer the deluded mind (Haume). But such
Sikh is said to be very rare! The learning becomes useless if one does not apply
it in day-to-day life.

In nutshell, the goal of true learning is to attain
proper understanding of life so that we can enjoy the life's journey - with
right understanding we know where we are in consciousness all the times. It deepens
or unfolds within with meditation (Naam-Simran or Jap). Lack of
mature understanding makes us live in anger and frustration, thus not progressing
in spiritual life (the Gurmukh Lifestyle). Many a time, our understanding
of the purpose of life or physical body is shallow, but our reactions are emotionally
strong. This leads to a lot of conflict within and without. Mind-control is at
its best when we change through right understanding and not through reactions,
fear or anger. The Gurbani tells us about the need to conduct ourselves in life
with much care and understanding. With proper understanding born of concentration,
attention and alertness, baser and fears do not take root in the mind. As a result,
with true learning comes Giaan (Knowledge), humility, contentment, compassion,
selflessness, truthfulness and simplicity. The Gurbani's stress on these Divine
qualities reinforces that this alone is the goal of true learning. To receive
such true learning to understand the right way of life, the Gurbani asks us to
seek the Company of the Holy (Saadh-Sangat).

ਸੋ ਪੜਿਆ ਸੋ ਪੰਡਿਤੁ ਬੀਨਾ ਜਿਨ੍ਹ੍ਹੀ ਕਮਾਣਾ ਨਾਉ ॥:
So parhiaa so pandit beenaa jinhee kamaanaa naaou. He alone is learned and wise,
and he alone is a scholar, who practices the Name (sggs 1288).

ਗੁਰਮੁਖ ਬੁਧਿ ਬਿਬੇਕ ਬਿਬੇਕੀ ਜਾਣੀਐ ॥:
Gurmukh budhi bibaek bibekee jaaneeai: Gurmukh has such wisdom, which is competent
to separate water from milk. This is why he is called wise (Vaar Bhai Gurdaas,
19 ).

Unfortunately, in the lives of the majority of us, our learning
is faulty or shallow. As it's easier for a fisherman to net the fish in the shallow
water, similarly, it's easier for Maya (illusion, darkness of ignorance etc.)
to snare in her net (Maya-Jaal) those who have shallow understanding of
the game of life. So Kabeer Sahib advises us to abandon the little pool (egocentric
life) and return to the Limitless Ocean (the Source or the state of no-Haume).

Though it is crucial that one has to gain
insight into one's essential or divine nature as Pure Consciousness ("Joti-Svaroopa"),
but it is a difficult and demanding process akin to walking on a two-edged sword.
The human form is a combination of matter and spirit, and the awakening of one's
essential nature in him is the road to the development of one's personality, which
is a lifetime process. It is with the pure mind and intellect that an individual
can understand the divine nature in him. The Gurmat helps us to develop
our personality by cultivation of selfless love, compassion, humility, contentment,
spiritual wisdom, truthful living, and negation of selfishness.